Principal's Welcome

Dear Families,

Welcome back to school after the term break. We are so proud of our students and how they have transitioned back after the holidays - eager to see their teachers and friends and to continue growing and learning. 

Uniform:

Thank you and well done to the vast majority of students who have remembered to bring and wear their hat outside each day as part of our sun smart protection protocols. Our uniform policy states that in term 4 students are required to wear their full Summer uniform on non physical education days including a hat. Due to Melbourne’s unpredictable weather, we allow students to wear either their Summer or Winter uniform depending on the forecast. One part of the uniform that must be worn at all times in term 4 is a hat. UV rays can still be quite strong even on a cloudy day. By wearing a hat everyday, students are protected from the sun and building the daily habit of remembering their hat no matter the weather. 

Learning & Teaching:

Our whole school curriculum learning focus this term is centred around Geography. The Geography curriculum presents a structured way of exploring, analysing and understanding the characteristics of the places that make up our world, using the concepts of place, space, environment, interconnection, sustainability, scale and change.

Year level inquiry BIG questions for exploration this term:

• PREP - What makes this place unique?
• YEAR ONE - What makes our place unique?
• YEAR TWO - What makes our city worth celebrating?
• YEAR THREE - How and why are places similar and different?
• YEAR FOUR - How does the environment and natural features support the lives of living things?
• YEAR FIVE - How and why do places, people & culture differ across the world? 
• YEAR SIX - How and why do people, countries and cultures differ around the world?

Our teachers design learning experiences which guide students to be inquirers following the pedagogical model of Kath Murdoch’s inquiry process. Our first week back for term 4 involved many learning experiences which ‘tuned’ students into the learning. During this time we teach and encourage students to develop skills in:

• Accessing prior knowledge 
• Posing questions
• Responding with wonder and awe
• Remaining open to continuous learning
• Thinking interdependently

Catholic Identity:

Thank you to all of our staff and students who participated in our Francis House celebrations on Friday by wearing a splash of red and providing our students with opportunities to learn about and be inspired by Saint Francis of Assisi. Saint Francis of Assisi's life was a living testament to his faith in God, his commitment to a life of poverty and service, and his deep connection to all of creation. His example continues to inspire people to this day to live lives of faith, love, and compassion.

SOGS Staff:

Amanda Symeoy, our previous STEM Teacher, left at the end of last term to begin maternity leave. We are so excited to announce the safe arrival of Amanda’s second precious bundle of joy. Welcome to the world baby Stella Hope Symeoy - we can’t wait to meet you! Congratulations to Amanda, Chris and Sophie - enjoy this very special time as a family. 

Steven Avis, our current Music Specialist Teacher, will be leaving us here at SOGS at the end of 2023. Steven will continue educating young people with an opportunity to help his partner Mikaela continue growing their own speech pathologist business. Steven has been an integral part of our team for 3 years, 2 years as a Co-Educator and 1 year as our Music Specialist Teacher. Steven has built a strong rapport with our students and is a well loved member of our staff. He has been instrumental in building our new Music program from the ground up. We are so grateful for all of his hard work, dedication and for the impact he has had on our students' growth and development over the years.  We wish Steven all the best in his future endeavours in 2024 and beyond. 

Last week we held interviews for the Music Specialist Teacher position at SOGS commencing in 2024. We are pleased to announce the appointment of David Pietsch as our SOGS Specialist Music Teacher in 2024. David comes to us with a wealth of knowledge,  experience and passion in the field of music education. We look forward to welcoming David to our learning community. 

Bell times:

Thank you to all of our families for a smooth transition into our new bell times this term. Through Audiri notifications last term, families were advertised that more information regarding our new bell times in 2024 would be shared with you early this term. Carmela has advised me that this will be shared later in the term once she returns from her Long Service Leave. Stay tuned for more information on this. 

Community:

• SOGS PASTA FUNDRAISER (Home order): Order forms went home with the eldest child of each family for home pasta orders on Monday 2nd October. All orders are due back to school on Friday 13th of October or can be placed directly to sales@tavallettapasta.com.au 
• SPECIAL CANTEEN LUNCH (AT SCHOOL) on Monday 30th of October: Notes/order forms went home to all students on Friday 6th of October

STEM Mad Conference:

• This week we have four SOGS students representing our school at the STEM Mad Conference at the Catholic Leadership Centre in the city. We want to thank Amanda Symeoy and Paige La Penta for all that they have done to work closely with these students to prepare them for this exciting opportunity. 
• The STEM MAD Student Showcase is a celebration of student learning designed to acknowledge and promote STEM learning initiatives that address real-world problems and demonstrate the particularity of Catholic Schools; encouraging students to make a difference (MAD) in the world by acting for justice and the common good. This aligns with the papal call for action in Laudato Si': On Care for our Common Home. 
• Paige and Michelle Peel will be travelling with the students on Thursday to support them in setting up and presenting their work. 
• We wish Paige, Michelle, Claristelle Yr 5, Ameila Yr 5, Eden Yr 5 and Nelly Yr 6 all the very best at the STEM Mad Conference. We look forward to hearing about how you go!

Have a wonderful week, 

Jemma McVeigh

School of the Good Shepherd 

Address: 88 South Circular Rd, Gladstone Park 3043

Telephone: 9338 7686

School Office hours:  8:30am- 4pm